Lifting truck



Nov. 18, 1947. w. VAN DEN BERGH ET AL 2,431,096

LIFTING TRUCK 2 Shgets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1946 \NVENTORS \h/lLLiAM VAN DEN BERGH OLIN H. doHNsoN 5 R E W T R 5 o A w P m% L M A H pk M Nov 18, 1947. w. VAN DEN BERGH ET AL 2, 3 9

LIFTING TRUCK Filed June 10, 1946 2 shet's-sheet 2 0"! n m I J \NVENTORS OLIN H.dO)-(NSON CHARLES PAsTooR Wmum VAN DEN BERGH ATTO RNEYS Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFTING TRUCK William Van Den Bergh, Olin H. Johnson, and

Charles Pastoor, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Grand Rapids Packing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application June 10, 1946, Serial No. 675,788

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel truck for the transportation of heavy articles. The truck is of the hand truck type or variety, pushed from one place to another, and is supplied with means for holding the article to be carried and further for loading the truck at a low position and thereafter lifting the load to a higher position with a simultaneous lowering of the handle structure of the truck which is pushed against to move the truck in a forward direction. The truck illustrated is provided with means for carrying quarters of beef, but the invention is not restricted solely, so far as the invention is concerned, to transporting beef quarters but may, with variations in design, be utilized for moving and trans porting other relatively heavy articles or materials.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a hand truck having the qualities stated, which is of a novel design, readily manufactured and economically produced, and. is made largely of tubular stock having strength coupled with a minimum of weight.

An understanding of the invention, and of a preferred structure embodying it, may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the truck.-

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, and

Fig. i is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the truck in its operative pushing position.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction of the truck, an axle 1 preferably in the form of a rod, at its ends is equipped with suitable wheels 2. A platform made of a single length of tubing is provided having the tubing bent into substantially U-shaped form to make spaced sides 3, the front ends of which are welded to the axle II, the rear ends of the sides 3 being integrally connected by the bend at d. Flat metal plates 5 (Figs. 3 and 4) are located one at the rear portion of the platform frame and the other spaced a short distance in front thereof, and welded at their ends to the sides 3 and the bend at i. Centrally disposed casters 6 are connected to and extend downwardly from the plates 5 as shown.

Adjacent each wheel 2, a rod 1 is welded or equivalently permanently secured to the axle 1, extending in a general vertical direction and preferably somewhat inclined to the rear as shown. On each rod a sleeve 8 is telescopically mounted. Said tubes adjacent their lower ends are connected by a horizontal cross rod 9 welded at its ends thereto. A tubular sleeve Ill is located around the rod 9 and two elongated tubes H extend rearwardly and upwardly being welded at their front end near the ends of sleeve 8 (Fig. 1). At the outer ends of the tubular rods II, a handle E2 of curved form as shown is permanently connected by welding. Said sides II and the outer handle I2 provide a means for pushing the truck in a forward direction.

Between the sides described, at a distance back of the cross rod 5}, an additional cross rod 9a (Fig. 4) extends, welded at its ends to the sides i and, similarly, back of the shaft I a rod 9b (Fig. 4) extends between the sides 3 of the lower platform. Tubular sleeves M are located around the rods 9a and 9b and tubular struts l3 extend between the sleeves I4 and have a welded connection thereto. Thus the elongated sleeves 8, and whatever may be mounted and carried thereon, may be elevated on the rods 7 as guides therefor to an upper position shown in Fig. 4 by simultaneously moving the handle at l2 downwardly into the proper position for the one operating the truck to push it in a forward direction.

Two additional tubular sleeves [5 are slidably telescoped one over each of the sleeves 8. A lever H is pivotally mounted near the lower end of one of the sleeves I 5, and has an engaging dog Ha for entrance into any selected one of the plurality of spaced notches or recesses IS in the associated tube 8. Adjacent their upper ends the sleeves l5 have connected thereto the sides or legs of a substantially V-belt tubular member is which extends rearwardly over the side members ll of the pusher handle structure.

A tubular loop [9, having forwardly extending spaced substantially parallel sides 29, is located between the tubular sleeves i5, above the lower ends of the sleeve and welded at opposed sides to the said sleeves. Such loop provides a support for a pan of sheet metal which is connected thereto, having at the wider rear portion of the loop a downwardly extending recessed part 2|, and between the sides 26 a raised portion 22 above the bottom of the part 2|. At the outer ends of the sides 20 upwardly extending projections 23 are made. Such pan structure is one design for carrying beef quarters indicated in dash lines 24 in Figs. 2 and 4, and of difierent shape; the one in Fig. 4 having a downwardly extending neck portion entering the downwardly recessed portion H, the upper part being supby release of the latching dog at Ha the sleeves l5 and the structure carried thereby may be moved to a preselected position onthe tubular sleeves 8. The truck may then. be loaded as in Fig. 2 for example, and then by pullingthehandle. at 2 downwardly and to the rear, the sleeves l5 and the parts connected therewith, togetherwith whatever load has been placed on the truck are lifted to the position shown in Fig. 3. and the handle brought to a lower position, at which the operator may most conveniently push the truck in a forward direction. On reaching a destination, the handle I2 is elevated to the position s own in Fig. 2 with a lowering or the load for its easier removal. Asshown in Fig. 2,- where the truck is used for example in loading freight cars which carry beef quartersin storage, the spaced casters 6, onein front of the other, will move readily over the spaced floor slats or bars 25-of such cars, one of said casters at all times being against the upper side of a bar 25.

The structure described has proved very practical and useful, is sturdy in construction and may be economically made. i

. ,Ijhe invention is def ned in the appended claims and is to be considered comp da hensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

Weclaim:

. 1. A truck structure comprising? platformhaving an axle at its frontend, wheels mounted at the ends of the .axle roller supports for the rear portion of the platform, ,two spaced rods extending in a generally vertical direction from said axle and permanently connectedthereto, tubular members telescoping oversai d rods and movable lengthwise thereof, article carrying means disposed between and connecting said tubular members, handle means including a pair of rearwardly andupwardl y extendingelongated I rods pivotally connected to said tubular sleeves adjacent their lower, ends, agenerally vertical strut pivotally connected at its upper and lower en s respectively to said handle means and ,to salidplatform between their respective ends, and a,,l'ia nd1e connecting said rearwardly and lipwardly extending rods actneir rear ends said rods being, operable as a lever to move said tubular sleeves lengthwise, of the first mentioned rods.

2. Ina truck construction, a platform comprising, a single length of material of substantially 4f; U-shaped form having spaced sides, an axle to which the ends of said sides are permanently secured, wheels on the axle, rollers connected at the rear of and extending downwardly from the platform, spaced rods extending upwardly from said axle and permanently connected thereto, a tubular sleeve telescoping over each rod, a transverse rod between the lower ends of said sleeves permanently connected at it's ends thereto, article carrying means mounted on said sleeves, handle rods extending rearwardly from said transverse 1 qd, a tubular member through which the transverse rod passes and to whichthefront ends of said handle rods .arepermanently secured, a handle connecting thefree ends of said handle rods, and fulcrum,mea'ns.pivotally connected at its lower end to the platform between the ends thereof andto said handle rods between their ends at its upper end.

.A construction as defined in claim 2, and additional sleeves telescopically receiving said first mcntionedsl eeves and movable lengthwise thereof, i neansfor holding said, additional sleeves at a plurality of positions in the length of the first sleeves, said article holding means being permanentlysecured to and extending between said additional sleeves, andmanually operable means for releasing said holding means; to permit downward, rnovement of said additional sleeves and the carrying means connected therewith to a lower {l. A truck comprising a wheel mounted platform," two spaced vertical posts extending upwardly from sai d platform, an article carrying frame comprising two, tubesuslidably mounted on said posts, a horizontal V,- shape d frame member connecting the upper ends ,of said tubes and a pan shaped member near the lower ends of the tubes,- a nda hand lever having. a fulcrum on said platform and connected to said article carrying frame for elevating it,. VAN DEN BERGH.

N. JOHNSON. CHARLES PASTOOR;

I REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Murphy l Jan. 23, 1912 Cannon s Feb. 11, 1919 Sarif et a1. Mar. 17, 1925 West Nov. 3, 1925 Quick -2 May 25, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britian Apr. 14, 1932 Sweden Mar. 17, 1938 Number Nessa 370,828 92,358 

